Three more of the 17 missionaries abducted by the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti have been released, says Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries (CAM). Since the Oct. 16 kidnapping, the gang has freed five of the hostages.

CAM, the missionaries’ sending organization, has not announced the identities of those released, but it was reported that six men, six women and five children—from 8 months to 48 years old—were among the initial group captured. 

“Those who were released are safe and seem to be in good spirits,” CAM said in a press release. “… Please continue to intercede for those who are still being held as well as those who have been released. We long for all the hostages to be reunited with their loved ones.”

On Dec. 3, CAM invited believers around the world to devote three days (Dec. 6-8) to prayer and fasting for the release of the hostages.  

“We recognize the power of prayer and fasting,” the ministry said. “We believe that it is Satan’s goal to destroy the work of God through strongholds of darkness. When Jesus and His disciples sought to overcome such strongholds in Matthew 17:21, Jesus said, ‘this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.’ In Esther 4:16, Queen Esther proclaimed a three-day fast when her people were facing danger.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, the gang had initially demanded a ransom of $1 million per person. It is unknown whether any ransom was paid for the five hostages that have been released.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in an Oct. 26 press briefing that he was personally giving the president daily updates on the situation.

“The president … is taking a deep interest in making sure we get every single one of those people home safely,” he said.

“The main thrust of our effort thus far has been to deploy a significant number of law enforcement specialists and hostage recovery specialists to work closely both with the ministry, the families, and the Haitian government to try to coordinate and organize a recovery,” Sullivan explained. “We are looking at every possible option for how to go about doing that.” 

 
Above: An entrance to the Christian Aid Ministries compound in Titanyen, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 18

Photo: REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/Alamy Stock Photo